


Problem Child

by grabmyboner



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Harringrove, I honestly have no idea what this is, M/M, Underage Drinking, anyways what even are tags? no idea how to use this website tbh, editing? we dont know her, i cant read suddenly idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 03:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20686943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grabmyboner/pseuds/grabmyboner
Summary: Steve can feel Billy’s thigh pressed against his, the warmth seeping through the denim onto his skin like the heat wafting from the grill on the 4th of July. It burns so dry he thinks when he eventually slips out of his jeans tonight, they’ll be a red mark that will remind him of Billy. A mark that will bring him back to this moment, surrounded by nicotine and the smell of the old wood slats beneath them.





	Problem Child

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Problem Child](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20702216) by [Mistika432](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistika432/pseuds/Mistika432)

> hii. I've never written for this ship or fandom before. I haven't written anything in a long while so please be kind. i'm also on tumblr under the same name: grabmyboner.tumblr.com 
> 
> happy reading! feel free to comment! :)

It’s a hot night. A hot, humid night. Steve’s holding a lukewarm beer that’s starting to get clammy in his hand. The party at Mark Collins’ has reached its peak and is slowly starting to die down. It’s just past 1 am and most people have either left or passed out somewhere in the house. Steve thinks that he should probably start walking home. 

Someone bumps against his shoulder as they walk past, it’s Tommy. Although Steve wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that on purpose, the way the boy is walking suggests he has no basic motor skills right now. Steve shouldn’t worry about Tommy, but he doesn’t want to be liable if the guy collapses and kills himself. 

“You good, Tom?” 

“S’fine. M’fine. Fu-fuck off Stevieeeeee.” He responds, swaying slightly. 

“Think maybe you should have a seat.” Steve moves towards him and places a hand on his shoulder, “Let’s move you over here.” 

Steve moves him to a sunbed next to the back door, Tommy tries to protest but really has no ground to stand on in his current state. Steve manages to sit him down and the boy basically passes out the second his head hits the thin mattress sitting atop the wood slats of the sunbed. 

The red solo cup containing the lukewarm beer hangs from his hand before he leans down and puts it on the ground next to Tommy. The music that he drowned out suddenly gets louder and he looks to see the back of a red silk shirt tucked into very,  _ very tight  _ jeans in front of the stereo. Steve doesn’t know what song is playing, but as the first lyrics ring out, those tight jeans begin swaying side to side and turn to face him. Billy Hargrove is looking directly at Steve, but his eyes are glazed, and Steve’s pretty sure Billy doesn’t even know who he is looking at. 

_ I'm hot _

_ And when I'm not _

_ I'm cold as ice _

_ Get out of my way _

_ Just step aside _

_ Or pay the price _

Billy performs each line shaking his ass, his hands move across his face and pull the loose curls back. 

_ What I want I take _

_ What I don't I break _

_ And I don't want you _

_ With a flick of my knife _

_ I can change your life _

_ There's nothing you can do _

Steve knows he’s staring. And if people were coherent enough right now to notice, he would probably stop. But they’re not, and he’s intrigued by  _ this  _ Billy. This Billy is at the level of drunk, where he just doesn’t seem to care about anything or anyone. 

_ I'm a problem child _

_ I'm a problem child, yes I am _

_ I'm a problem child _

_ And I'm wild _

Billy’s dancing has moved him closer to Steve. And Billy now seems to realize who he’s been dancing in front of. 

“Pretty, pretty, pretty boy.” He hums, still jiving to the beat. His eyes are lidded, but his signature leer rests easy on his face. “Why aren’t cha dancin’? S’good song.” 

“I’m actually about to head home.” 

“Really? Cause, it looks like, it looks like you were watching me.” His smirk drops and he runs his tongue over his bottom lip. 

Steve feels a flush moving up his neck, Billy seems to notice because his eyes flicker down slightly. Steve thinks that he could knock this Billy right on his ass, and there would be no repercussions for his actions. He isn’t going to, but the option is there. 

“Well, I wasn’t.” He finally responds. He moves to walk past Billy, but the boy grabs his bicep. 

“Where you goin’?” 

“Home. Like I literally just said 30 seconds ago.” 

“Stay and dance, pretty boy.” Billy’s hand stays put on Steve’s arm, “Itssa good song.” 

“Songs over.” Steve points out. 

Billy smiles, letting go of Steve’s arm. “Don’t worry, the next song is even better. Fresh mix I made last night.” 

“You bought your own tape to a party?” Steve huffs out a laugh, “That’s a pretty passive-aggressive way of telling people their music taste is shit.” 

“Don’t worry. I tell it to their faces too.” 

Then another guitar heavy song is playing, and Billy groans and drops his head back in pleasure like the song is giving him the best handjob he’s ever received, and it makes Steve’s gut swirl and cheeks flush even more. 

Steve’s surprised he kind of recognises the song. It’s Lick It Up by KISS. And the only reason he knows that is because once he was in the car with Nancy and Jonathan and this was playing and he asked Johnathan what song it was and Johnathan said ‘Lick It Up by KISS’ and Steve thought that was a pretty funny name for a song. 

_ Don't want to wait 'til you know me better _

_ Let's just be glad for the time together _

Next thing Steve knows, he’s being tugged by his brown button-down towards where the patio meets the grass. Billy’s screaming the lyrics so loud that he’s surprised someone hasn’t yelled at him to shut up. He turns around and faces Steve when they reach the grass 

_ Lick it up, lick it up, ooh yeah, come on, come on _

“LICK IT UP!  _ OOOH!”  _ Billy’s hands fall on Steve's hips and start moving him in time with the beat, “C’mon Harrington,  _ daaaaaaance.”  _ He practically whines, Steve thinks he might faint at their proximity. Billy’s fingertips are burning holes through the thin fabric and his cologne is fogging up Steve’s brain. 

“i- _ fuck.  _ I need a smoke.” Steve breathes out, stepping back to put distance between the two of them. He scrubs his hands over his eyes and stumbles further into the back yard. His heart rate is so elevated, he thinks he might be going into cardiac arrest. 

Billy trails him like a lost puppy, mumbling something about Steve being a party pooper but Steve is too busy trying to collect his thoughts to really listen. 

They end up standing under a tree, where Mark Collins’ treehouse is built. Steve remembers this treehouse from when he was around 9 years old. Tommy pushed him out of it and he broke his wrist and had to wear a cast for 8 weeks. Tommy cried more than Steve did and tried to kiss Steve’s wrist better. Steve wasn’t really that mad, he thought the cast made him look cool. He even managed to get Lacey Stevens, a 5th grader, to sign his cast - All the boys were so jealous. 

Steve pats around his pockets for his smokes and lighter, only to come up completely empty handed. He lets out a string of curses before he feels the heat of Billy’s body pressed to his shoulder. 

“Needa smoke?” He teases, one dangling between his pink lips. Steve swallows as he looks down at him, and nods slowly. “Well come and get one.” He finishes before cackling and climbing up the base of the tree to the treehouse. 

Cocking his head up, Steve watches Billy’s ass move higher and higher till he flops on the wood panels and all he sees are his legs dangling over the edge. Steve could just leave him there, go home and pretend whatever was happening didn’t actually happen. But Steve is also a good guy and knows he won’t get any sleep knowing a very intoxicated Billy is passed out in a tree. 

He slowly makes his way up the tree and collapses next to Billy who is already halfway through his cigarette. Steve can feel Billy’s thigh pressed against his, the warmth seeping through the denim onto his skin like the heat wafting from the grill on the 4 th of July. It burns so dry he thinks when he eventually slips out of his jeans tonight, they’ll be a red mark that will remind him of Billy. A mark that will bring him back to this moment, surrounded by nicotine and the smell of the old wood slats beneath them. 

The full moon that peaks through the leaves and branches, makes Billy’s face glow and his eyelashes seem never-ending – The image will be seared into his brain forever, like a work of art. Michelangelo could only dream of creating something so breathtaking. 

Billy turns his head and his eyes meet Steve’s, “Watching me again, pretty boy?” He says, stubbing out his smoke on the wood between them. 

Steve shakes his head and turns it upwards to look at the sky. He hears Billy moving around before the boy’s fingertips are pressed to his lips, a fresh smoking cigarette resting between the digits. Billy leans up on his elbow and looks down at him with a dazed smirk. Steve parts his lips slightly to breathe in the smoke. His lungs burn but he can’t tell if its from the smoke or Billy’s cologne that is now so much stronger. 

He pulls the smoke from Steve’s lips and up to his, eyes closing as he inhales. They go back and forth like this. Billy leaning over Steve, feeding him the cigarette before bringing it back to his lips. They don’t speak, but Billy just stares down like he wants to say something but can’t put the words together. 

Steve finishes the last of the smoke and Billy flicks it over the edge. Over the course of sharing the cigarette, he has moved onto his stomach but still resting on his elbow looking over Steve. 

“Feeling better?” Billy breaks the silence. 

“Nicotine dependency really is a bitch.” 

Billy sticks his tongue out and bites on it as he laughs, “I’m sure that’s what got you so flustered.” He leans down, his lips brush against Steve’s ear. Steve feels like he is actually having a heart attack. In fact, he thinks he did have a heart attack before, and this is the afterlife. He can’t decide if it’s heaven or hell. “They say the best way to quit, is to distract yourself every time you need a smoke.” 

Billy pulls away and stares Steve down with his Cheshire cat grin. Steve watches his eyes flicker down to his lips and back up to Steve's eyes. 

“Yeah?” Steve finally responds. 

Billy leans down slightly and lets out a breath, “Yeah.” 


End file.
